Joined-up thinking?
Assessing unilateral and co-ordinated effects in merger cases?The Competition Commission's decision on a series of bids to acquire Safeway, the UK's fourth largest supermarket, has drawn the spotlight on to the way in which the Commission analyses the risks that a merger will have "unilateral" or "co-ordinated" effects inimical to consumers' interests. This bulletin explores the issues involved in making these assessments, highlights possible tensions between them, and raises some questions about the Commission's approach.
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